New York Yankees reliever Devin Williams struck out Xander Bogaerts of the San Diego Padres to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the 10th inning at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday.
But that was a rare success for the 30-year-old former Milwaukee Brewers closer acquired in a major trade last December.
Overall, Williams’ short tenure in the Bronx has been a disaster. He brought a 10.03 ERA into Wednesday’s game. Williams’ latest collapse came on Monday when he entered the eighth inning with a 3-0 lead over the Padres and quickly coughed it up. The Yankees lost that game 4-3.
Manager Aaron Boone has turned to Luke Weaver, installing him in the closer’s role he held during the stretch run late last season. But it was Weaver who relieved Williams on Monday and gave up the eventual winning run.
But one trade proposal, admittedly a bold one, could solve the Yankees closer crisis — and would have the added benefit of bringing in a future Hall of Famer to wind up his career in the Bronx.
Kenley Jansen is in his first year with the Los Angeles Angels, who signed him to a one-year, $10 million contract. The 37-year-old has picked up where he left off after saving 56 games in 64 chances over two seasons with the Boston Red Sox.
Jansen’s Hall of Fame credentials are probably confirmed already. He stands fourth on the all-time saves list with 454. But he is chasing another former Red Sox closer, Lee Smith, who recorded 478 over an 18-year career with eight different teams. Jansen would undoubtedly like to retire in third place.
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Smith, who hung up his spikes after the 1997 season, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019. With just 24 more saves, Jansen would move past Smith on the career leader board. That total probably would not be within reach with the currently last-place, 14-20 Angels.
But with the Yankees, that number would become much more achievable.
Because Jansen would be a partial-season rental for the Yankees — either re-entering free agency or retiring after this season when his contract expires — the price to get him out of Anaheim to the Bronx should not be high.
A pair of lower minor-league pitching prospects — such as 2023 sixth-round pick Cade Smith, a righty, along with left Kyle Carr, a third-rounder that same year — should be plenty to secure Jansen and stabilize the crucial high-leverage end of the Yankees bullpen as they pursue a return trip to the World Series.
Smith and Carr, both currently at the High-A level of the Yankees system, are the organization’s Nos. 14 and 18 ranked prospects, respectively.
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